The Cat's Meow
by QuiQui
Summary: Yet another rotten plan backfires on Robbie, leaving him in Sportacus's care. SportaRobbieness.
1. Chapter 1

((Author Notes: Blame for this fic, er I mean, this is dedicated, to all the SportaRobbie writers here who put lovely ideas into my head. Also, darn you all for making it look so easy, and making me want to play, too.))

Yet another loud thump followed by more grating giggles caused Robbie to grit his teeth and growl. The brattlings and their pet blue thing seemed extra loud today, if that was even possible. Of course, they somehow always knew whenever he had a particularly sensitive invention to perfect and increased their frolicking accordingly.

It was entirely probable that they were at their loudest and most irritating today, as his most current mechanical masterpiece was his most delicate contraption to date.

The Re-Configurator was no less than sheer brilliance. Once completed it could change something into anything else. The possibilities were endless. He could change all that odious fruit into cupcakes! He could transform those noisy children into quiet little church mice. Perhaps he could even transform that loathsome Sport-a-dork into a tolerable person.

Robbie sneered. Perhaps he wouldn't pull off the last one. Even science had its limitations. Maybe a nice silent doorstop would be in order instead.

He was so wrapped up in his pleasant daydream that the loud thump and chorus of shrieking giggles from above startled him so much that his hand slipped and he jammed a very delicate piece of circuitry into the wrong slot.

"Aargh!" He snarled and glared at the ceiling. He threw down his pliers and shook his fist.

"You laugh and play now, but soon you'll rue the day you hovered over my town, Sport-a-creep!"

He was so caught up in his tirade; he failed to see the chain of events set off by the discarded pliers. The pliers hit a jar of bearings, knocking it over and sending bearings rolling off onto the floor. One lone bearing rolled a little to the left only to bump into a stack of precariously placed cogs sending the cog on top hurtling down on top of a ruler laid carelessly on a pencil. This created and ideal springboard to launch a screw that just happened to be resting on one end of the ruler. The screw flew through the air and soundly hit a large purple button on the Re-Configurator.

The light and noise of the machine powering up finally grabbed Robbie's thoughts away from his vengeance rant. He blinked at it in surprise for a moment before he realized that the device was pointed directly at him.

He tried to run from his creation, but the bearings rolled under his fleeing feet and allowed him only to run in one place. A high pitched whine and quite a few sparks were emitted before a beam of orange light hit him square in the chest.

Robbie flew back from the force and hit the ground hard. His world went black before he had a chance to see his beautiful machine cut out with an ominous puff of dark smoke.

It could have been minutes or hours later when Robbie finally stirred. His head felt like it was stuffed with killer bees and his entire body ached. He tried to move, but had apparently been lying in a very awkward position. For some reason his limbs didn't want to move properly.

The room looked off to his half-opened eyes. As he carefully opened his eyes the rest of the way, minding the pain in his head while he did, the view got even stranger.

The ceiling above him seemed much farther away than usual. In fact, everything looked farther away. And larger. Much larger. He blinked furiously trying to clear his eyes and get a better look at his surroundings. There was an odd washed out look to the room that had nothing to do with his lovely villainous décor.

He pushed him self up onto all fours with no little effort and was stunned. From this vantage, he couldn't even see over the seat of his chair. This wasn't right. A quick attempt to straighten to his full height ended with another tumble back to the ground, with his arms and legs sticking up in the air.

"Oh no," he thought, "I wasn't this furry before." The dread was rapidly becoming full-fledged panic. He tentatively wiggled his left arm, only to have a furry paw in front of him wiggle instead.

"Wowr!" he yelped, and promptly snapped his mouth shut. That definitely wasn't what he meant to say.

"Wawrg?" he queried, and cringed at the decidedly feline noise that emerged from his throat. He shook his head in denial and shakily pushed himself back up on four wobbly legs. This was a bad thing. He took a few awkward steps, and had a bit of trouble trying to coordinate four legs while steadfastly ignoring the extra appendage twitching in agitation on his backside.

It was a chore walking back to his unfortunate creation, particularly with the damned bearings lying in wait along the way. And the closer he got to the table, the larger it seemed, until he was staring up at an impossible mountain in his own home.

"It's all right," he told himself. "I'm a cat, so jumping up should be no problem."

He crouched down, muscles tightly coiled and gave a gratuitous butt wiggle before launching at the table with all the strength and grace his feline form possessed. Sadly, he missed the edge of the table by a good foot and a half and learned the hard way that not all cats land on their feet.

He staggered back to his feet and shook his head. The table remained right where it was and mocked him silently with its utter lack of accessibility. He sighed and twitched his tail in irritation. As much as he loathed admitting it, he was going to need help.

"Achoo!"

And he was allergic to cats.


	2. Chapter 2

Stephanie, Ziggy, Trixie, Stingy and Pixel were playing soccer unknowingly near the entrance to Robbie's hidden lair. The played with more enthusiasm than skill and didn't even bother keeping score. It was just a great day to run around under the clear blue sky with their best friends. 

Well, most of her best friends. Stephanie mentally shook her head. She knew saving Lazy Town was a big job and Sportacus couldn't spend all his time playing with them, but it seemed like he was spending more time in his airship or taking long runs alone than ever before. And when he did come and play, she would catch him from time to time lost in thought. And to her eye, it wasn't a very happy one.

Then the moment would pass and the uncommon distracted look would be gone and she was left wondering if it had ever been there at all.

She had just shared her concerns with Trixie. Trixie initially dismissed her concerns, but once the idea was there, the shorter girl found herself keeping an eye out for any strange behavior as well.

Trixie was more worried about Stephanie. It wasn't any secret that her pink-haired friend fancied Sportacus. Sometimes it even seemed like it might be mutual. It was too hard to tell with their local superhero. He liked everyone with an unfailing enthusiasm and he had that special knack to make everyone feel like he or she were the only person in his world.

She was a little preoccupied with these thoughts and moved a powerful but straightforward pass from Pixel. The ball rolled off into the bushes near the billboard.

"Oops, sorry! I'll get it." She said sheepishly. She grinned at her friends' good-natured groans and trotted over to the scraggly undergrowth. As she approached, a strange raspy sound reached her ears. Something rustled in the bushes and Trixie took a step back.

She yelled and waved over her friends.

"Come over here! There's something moving!"

Stingy grinned and started running only to be stopped by Pixel. He turned to his friend and whined, "Hey, there's something there and I know it has to be something of mine."

Pixel rolled his eyes.

"Trixie's probably just messing with us. You can go over if you want, but don't be surprised if something jumps out at you." Pixel explained.

Trixie listened to the exchange impatiently. She stamped her foot and yelled, "I'm not making it up. There's really something here! It doesn't sound healthy, either!"

The kids all looked pensive for a moment. Sure, it could be another of Trixie's pranks, but maybe, just maybe, she's not kidding.

"I don't know, guys. She sounds pretty sincere," Stephanie said and with a shrug, trotted over to Trixie's side, with the rest of their friends following on her heels.

The bush shook again and another pitiful gasping sound emerged. The kids all backed up a step, then when it seemed nothing was attacking, they all leaned back in as one.

"Can you see anything?" Ziggy asked, nearly vibrating with excitement.

Stephanie tilted her head. The rest of the group followed suit. "I think I see something, but I can't tell what it is," she said and dropped to all fours. "Maybe if I get a little closer..."

She crawled slowly toward the bush and craned her head to see. Something small and furry moved in short jerky movements.

"Awww, don't be scared, little guy," Stephanie crooned. She was happy to hear the wheezes stop and smiled encouragingly as it turned its little face to her.

"Mrrow?" it seemed to ask.

"Oh, it's a kitty!" Ziggy exclaimed. Soon all the kids were down on their bellies peering under the bush in a jumble of arms and legs.

"Is it my cat?"

"You don't have a cat, Stingy." Trixie explained.

Stingy looked thoughtful.

"Well, can I have this one?" He asked.

Pixel grinned, "You can, but the cat might claw up your stuff."

The horrified expression on Stingy's face spoke volumes.

"Besides, it probably belongs to someone." Stephanie reasoned and reached into the bushes to try and pet it. She quickly pulled her hand back with a yelp.

"It bit me!"

Stephanie nursed her hurt finger and glared at the cat. The cat glared right back with just a hint of a smirk on its furry face.

"He's probably just scared," Pixel said and cooed at the cat to come out. The cat stared at him suspiciously. Pixel motioned for everyone to move back. Stephanie had no problem complying. Everyone else moved back as well.

"There, no one here will hurt you," Pixel crooned, "C'mon out and we'll figure out how to get you back home and safe."

Everyone held his or her breath for a moment until the cat sniffed disdainfully and sauntered out into the open.

Ziggy clapped.

"Wow, Pixel! Where'd you learn to do that?" He asked.

Pixel blushed and shrugged. "It's just something I picked up from a pet simulator I used to play."

"No way, you're a natural!" Trixie laughed. "If you ever get tired of playing with your computers, you could be a great vet!"

"Is it just me, or is there something strange about this cat?"

"Meow!" insisted the cat, affronted.

"Well," Pixel said, "I've never heard of a cat with black and purple vertical stripes before."

"He almost looks like he understands what we're saying." Trixie added.

"There's no way a cat could understand us." Stephanie said, still smarting over the nipped digit. She narrowed her eyes at him. "But there is something...familiar about him."

The cat puffed out his chest and walked over to Pixel. It paused and made a very odd face before rubbing the computer geek's ankles in a very determined fashion.

"Mrowr." He demanded.

"I think he likes you, Pixel." Stephanie laughed.

"What do we do with him?" asked Ziggy. "He doesn't look very healthy. Should we take him to a vet?"

Pixel stooped down and picked up the cat cautiously. The cat stiffened a bit but didn't scratch or claw him. Pleased, Pixel chanced a scratch behind one of the cat's ears. It was hard to say which was more surprised by the ensuing rumbling purr, Pixel or the lanky cat in his arms.

Stephanie couldn't hold back a giggle at their expressions.

"Sorry, Pixel, but you both looked so freaked out." She said after her giggles subsided. A surreptitious kick quieted Trixie as well.

She looked thoughtful as she continued, "I'm afraid we wouldn't have enough money for a vet. I don't even think he's sick, just scrawny."

She leaned in as she talked to get a better look but jumped back at the animal's warning growl.

"I don't think he likes to be talked about." Ziggy chirped.

"Told you he understands us." Trixie added with a smirk.

"He must be a stray," Pixel said. "He doesn't have a collar and it doesn't look like he's had anybody to take care of him in a long time."

He scratched the cat's ear again in an attempt to soothe the sudden downcast demeanor.

"What if we take care of him? He can be our...uh, mascot!" Ziggy grinned enthusiastically, entranced with the idea of a new game.

"I don't know, Ziggy," Pixel said, "Taking care of a pet is a lot of work."

"That's true," Stephanie added, "We'd have to feed him, give him a place to stay and clean up after him. And he can't stay at my house. Uncle's allergic."

"I don't want a cat at my house." Stingy huffed. The very idea of having to share even his home was enough to make him shudder.

"I'm not allowed to have a pet," Trixie griped, "Not after the hamster incident. And Ziggy's too little to take care of a cat."

Ziggy glared at her. "I am not too little!" He shot back and stomped his feet.

"Of course you're not, Ziggy," Stephanie soothed, "But you are too, er, sticky." She added and held up one of his taffy-covered hands. "You'd have to give up candy completely and clean your room from top to bottom to even think about having a pet. After all, you wouldn't want him to get sick from eating a piece of candy you forgot, would you?"

"I guess you're right," Ziggy grudgingly admitted. But he quickly brightened. "Maybe Pixel can keep him!"

"Me?"

Pixel looked down at the cat in his arms. The funky feline actually looked smug and he was startled to see it rubbing its front paws together in a rather nefarious manner. He shook his head quickly, "No way. I can't have any animals anywhere near my sensitive electronic equipment." He looked down at the cat as it let out a disgusted meow and slumped in his arms. None of the pet websites mentioned that cats could grumble.

"Super." Trixie said sarcastically, "Now what do we do with him?"

"Bessie likes cats," Stephanie said tentatively, "Maybe she could take him in."

"She may like cats," Trixie replied, laughing, "But the cats sure don't like her. Why do you think that kitten of hers is always running away and getting stuck up in the tree?"

Stephanie just grinned and rolled her eyes, "I guess you're right about that. The poor thing's probably sick of getting rescued by Sportacus and returned home." Suddenly her eyes lit up.

"I know!" she exclaimed, "We'll ask Sportacus to take him!" She was practically bouncing with excitement. "We all can help take care of the kitty up in the airship!"

For a brief mean second, Pixel considered keeping the cat just to keep Sportacus from getting involved. His jealousy was no match for his kind disposition, however and he quickly joined in with the others' loud agreement with Stephanie's plan.

As the kids ran to the letter tube, Pixel was oblivious to the sympathetic looks Trixie was shooting him.

((AN: Dialogue is kicking my butt. Any advice is appreciated.

KrysSaiyan, glad you like the idea. Hope I can live up to your expectations. Thanks for the review!))


	3. Chapter 3

Sportacus paced around his airship, flipping and dropping to the floor to do pushups every so often only to spring back up and continue his pacing. He just couldn't keep up his usual frenetic pace for very long without getting lost in thought.

He banished himself in to his ship earlier that day after going for a run and getting a little distracted. By the time he had snapped out of his reverie he had made it all the way to the next county. It was getting absurd. He was getting absurd.

He paced back and forth, deftly avoided the various control panels on the floor until his reflection in one of the windows caught his attention. A very uncharacteristic sneer crept across his fine features.

"You are acting like a fool," he addressed his reflection. Then he spun on his heels and paced the length of the ship a few times more and paused back in front of the window.

"You should not be pacing around and brooding."

He laughed quietly and shook his head incredulously. A few back flips carried him over the opposite wall and he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Look at yourself, Sportacus," he sighed. "You're starting to act like...like him."

He dropped down to do a long set of stomach crunches. Usually he found the repetitive movements meditative and would happily get lost in the rhythm of the exercise. But lately, no amount of moving could stop him from thinking.

He couldn't stop thinking about Robbie Rotten. The man positively haunted him. Literally and figuratively. He'd encountered that bizarre periscope many times and could almost be annoyed at the intrusion of privacy that is, until he found himself out on the airship's dock scanning the town with his collapsible telescope.

Robbie kept as close an eye on the goings on of Lazy Town as Sportacus did. And in an odd way, Sportacus had to admit Robbie was kind of a protector of the town. Of course, it was to protect the town's notorious lazy and quiet way of life instead of the actual well being of the townspeople.

He had to smile at that thought. Robbie would never admit it, but the town clearly meant a lot to him. If only he didn't see Sportacus as a threat to his town. And possibly a threat to Robbie, himself.

Robbie's dislike of him bothered Sportacus. A lot. It didn't make much sense why they couldn't be friends, but then again a lot about Robbie didn't make any sense at all. He seemed so determined to get rid of him one moment, but never actually went through with it. Some of Robbie's plans and inventions could have worked and would have worked if Robbie really was as mean and cruel as the odd man liked everyone to think he was.

Sportacus had been trying to avoid Robbie lately, to see if giving the other man some space would keep him from trying to send him away so much. If anything, it seemed to make the villain more determined than ever. He didn't want to admit it, but the constant attempts to make him leave town were really starting to hurt his feelings.

He tried not to let on to the other people of Lazy Town and especially not to the children, but even above average heroes could have hurt feelings. It was probably a little childish of him, but the fear of them not liking him, too was hard to overcome.

The whistling noise of an incoming letter jerked him out of his, well; sulk is the only word for it. Shaking off his melancholy like a duck shaking off water, he vaulted to the center of the floor where the tube shot through into his waiting hand.

"I've got mail!" he said, as delighted as ever. He'd never get tired of getting letters as long as he lived.

"The kids want to ask me something?" he read. "Of course they can ask me something! Door!" He commanded and dashed out to see his friends.

((Okay, this is short, which is funny since I've worked on it longer than the other two chapters together. Heh. I'll try to keep the pace up!

You guys are amazing. I knew the community here was pretty nice and mellow, or else I'd have never gotten the courage to post a story here, but your enthusiasm blows me away! I'm glad the dialogue was all right. It's been forever since I've done it. Thanks Kat for the advice! And big glomps to all for the enabling, er I mean encouragement!))


	4. Chapter 4

Robbie slumped over in Pixel's arms and grumbled to himself. Of course the little brats would get the Sportafreak involved. It was too much to hope Pixel could have taken him in. Surely the geek had something lying around his home that could fix this situation without anyone being the wiser to the mess he'd gotten himself into. 

But noooo, they had to go get that loser to take care of him. Just imagining having to live with that goody goody was making him nauseous. He was pretty sure there was no way a cat could do sit ups, but he had a bad feeling Sportacus would make him try.

"There," Stephanie said after pulling the lever. "He'll be here any minute."

The giddy grin on her face sent a shiver down his spine. Did she always have to be so happy? He'd have bitten her again, but the computer kid was doing that thing to the back of his ear. It was the only thing keeping him from fleeing back to his lair. As hopeless as it was to fix the machine in his...condition, it still seemed preferable to whatever the kids were going to do with him now.

He'd about gathered his resolve to escape the oh so clever scratching fingers when an all too familiar swooshing signaled the arrival of Lazy Town's very own super hero. Robbie rolled his eyes at the enthusiastic greetings the children called out to him.

"Who's this?" Sportacus asked and bent down as if to pet Robbie.

Robbie hated to admit it, but his usual defensive posturing seemed to work much effectively as a cat. Puffing himself up and growling sent the elf back a couple of feet. He even allowed himself a smug grin. Perhaps the experiment wasn't a total failure after all.

"Careful, Sportacus," Pixel warned and made soothing noises at the cat. "He's a little high strung."

"High strung?" Sportacus shot the spitting animal a very nervous look. He bounced on the balls of his feet ready to leap to Pixel's rescue if the cat decided to turn those teeth and claws on the kid.

"Oh yeah, but he's really a powder puff deep down."

Robbie narrowed his eyes and prepared to lash out at his orange-haired captor, but the brat just clucked at him and chucked him under the chin. Robbie tried to maintain his dignity, but the loud purring and melting bones of his new body betrayed him yet again.

"He won't be any trouble at all!" Stephanie chimed in. "In fact, I'm sure you'll barely know he's there."

The look of dawning horror on Sportacus's face made Robbie long for a camera. And thumbs to use it.

"What do you mean, Stephanie?" Sport asked. Robbie decided he liked the wary tremble in the hero's voice and casually flexed on paw displaying his claws to their best vantage.

Ziggy piped up, cheerfully oblivious to Sportacus's trepidation.

"We were hoping you'd help us by taking in our new kitty!" he explained. His oh so innocent and chipper demeanor was hard to say no to. Robbie only managed not to succumb by using the kid's tendency to get distracted against him. That would be too clever for the elf, so the villain was quite interested to see how his foe would fare.

"Take him in?" Sportacus looked very confused and more than a little overwhelmed. Robbie the cat cackled to himself.

"Well, none of us have a place to keep him and we don't want to have to send him off to the pound..." Stephanie batted her eyelashes and looked wistful.

Trixie gave her a disgusted look before it sank in just what her friend was up to.

"Oh Sportacus," she drawled, "You're the only one who can help us. And if you didn't, well the pound might have the kitten put to sleep." Trixie put on her best innocent expression, the one that had kept her out of military school in the past and added a lower lip tremble for good measure. She was secretly pleased with the horrified gasps Stingy and Ziggy let out.

"You can't let them kill my cat!" Stingy hollered.

Ziggy just started bawling. It was complete and utter chaos and Robbie Rotten loved it. He'd underestimated the little brats. Sportacus looked like he might cry as well as he tried to hush Ziggy's crying and assure Stingy that he wouldn't let anyone hurt the cat.

Stephanie shot Trixie a glare, but Trixie just grinned and shrugged. It was working after all.

"Okay, okay. I will keep the cat." Sportacus shouted. Ziggy's crying abruptly stopped and the young boy hugged Sportacus around the knees. Unable to help himself, Sportacus grinned broadly before getting serious again, "For now. I'm too busy saving the town to have a pet full time. So I'm trusting that you all will be looking for a better home for your cat." The stern look he gave them all quickly melted at the chorus of agreements.

Robbie was about ecstatic with glee. Seeing Sportacus so thoroughly beaten by a bunch of little children was a thing of beauty. It wasn't until he was dumped into the heroes waiting arms that he remembered he was defeated as well.

"Mrwowr!" he protested and tried vainly to break the blue elf's iron grip. But while Sportacus might be more than a little bit gullible, it didn't mean he was unobservant. It only took him a slit second to repeat the ear scratch he saw Pixel do earlier.

The cat slumped over purring like crazy. Sportacus was even better at this than Pixel! Of all the ways to be bested by the Sportadork, this had to be the most humiliating. Robbie knew he should be more horrified than he was, but it was suddenly very hard for him to think at all.

Pixel gave Sportacus a genuine smile of relief. "Thank you." He said simply. The temperamental animal was starting to make him nervous. He'd never seen animal quite like this one before. Surely Sportacus would be more equipped to take care of it.

"I don't have any food or a litter box or anything to take care of him." Sportacus said, slightly dazed.

"We'll take care of that!" Said Stephanie. "We'll get him all the tuna we can find at our houses."

Trixie looked thoughtful.

"I think I still have the bottom to the old hamster cage. It should work for a litter box. We'll just throw some sand in it."

"And Trixie and I can make him a collar! I'm getting really good at braiding friendship bracelets and Trixie's good with clay for a pendant."

Sportacus and Robbie looked back and forth at the girls as they made plans.

"We can put his name on the pendant and instructions to contact Sportacus if he gets lost," Trixie added before looking befuddled. "Of course we have to think of a name for him first." She gave a wicked grin. "Let's name him Killer!"

"Killer? Ew. How about Sassy?"

"Sassy? That's a horrible name for a cat, Stephanie!" Stingy made a face. "How about we name him...Mine?"

"Stingy!" the kids yelled in unison.

Pixel tapped his chin, "Well, Sassy isn't exactly the best name for a boy cat." He said.

"How do you know he's a boy cat, Pixel?" Ziggy squinted at the cat.

Trixie snorted back a laugh, "We'll tell you when you're older, Ziggy," she answered, not unkindly and ruffled his hair.

Stephanie turned to Sportacus and giggled. With the cat in his arms, he was uncharacteristically still and the overwhelmed expression lingered on his face.

Pixel cleared his throat and punched a few buttons on his wrist computer. "According to this database, the most popular cat name is Oscar." He said and shot a quick look at the odd feline. "I think it would suit our cat pretty well."

"Hmmm, Oscar..." Stephanie tried out the name then nodded. "I like it! Good job, Pixel!" She smiled brightly at the boy causing a very deep blush to spread across his cheeks.

"I can live with Oscar." Trixie added. "C'mon Ziggy! We'll get started digging out a litter box from my garage. I'm going to need help if I want to get back out of there alive." She grabbed Ziggy by the cape and dragged the terrified boy away.

Pixel was still tapping away at his computer. "I'll get together some instructions for taking care of Oscar for you guys," he said distractedly. He aimed his device at Robbie and snapped a quick digital photo momentarily blinding the cat's very sensitive eyes. "And I'll get some flyers posted in the off chance someone is looking for him. Or who knows? We might just find someone who can't live without a purple pinstriped cat." With a grin and a wave he headed off for his house.

Stephanie waved bye to Pixel then grabbed Stingy's wrist. "Come on, Stingy. You can help me figure out what color the collar will be."

Stingy didn't have a chance to protest before Stephanie drug him bodily towards her house. She didn't want to give Sportacus a chance to change his mind.

Sportacus and Robbie remained by the mailbox, with a matching set of dazed expressions. A quick glance down to his arms assured him that the furry bundle was real and he was now the owner of a skinny scowling cat.

Robbie hung his head, miserable. Not only was his wellbeing now in the hands, literally of his enemy, the wretched brats had the nerve to name him Oscar. He let out a pitiful mew that was echoed by a groan from Sportacus.

"What am I going to do with you?" Sportacus asked.

Robbie looked up at him and glared. "That's just what I was wondering, Sportacreep," he thought dejectedly.


	5. Chapter 5

Robbie attempted in vain to find a safe place to perch on the infernal ship. His vision wasn't what it used to be and the extra input from his whiskers was throwing him off. 

He tiptoed cautiously, jumping over every perceived floor panel controls and freezing up at odd intervals just waiting for some horror or another to spring out at him from the wall. Or worse, to have a certain town hero go hand springing all over the place without looking first for any small fuzzy yet incredibly good looking animals that might be in his path of destruction.

Luckily, he hadn't had to make a mad scramble for safety from the annoying elf in quite a while. After Sportacus had gone down to collect the cat things and set everything up with the expected amount of obnoxious energy and good cheer, he'd patted Robbie on the head and shot back out the door. Which suited Robbie just fine.

He didn't need anyone around while he plotted what to do about his current condition. And he especially didn't need the comfort of having someone else with him in this bizarre ship looming all around his newly diminutive form.

No, this was much better. At least this way there was no witness to the horrible litter box experience. The less said about that the better.

He'd nibbled dejectedly at the tuna. While it seemed to suit a cat's palate, it just wasn't cake. Of course that horrible multi colored monstrosity the children apparently thought was a collar had been shredded down to slivers and the bits spread from one side of the airship to the other. It was childish and petty, but Robbie was quite pleased with himself. The little nametag had been unceremoniously dumped in the litter box. Oscar, indeed.

He finally dragged himself into the pilot seat and curled up. At least for the time being naptime wouldn't be an issue. Cats were famous for that kind of thing, weren't they?  
The door swished open and Sportacus swung inside stopping Robbie from his dastardly plot to sharpen his claws on the seat. He snickered a feline snicker and as he imagined clawing at Sportacus's backside instead.

No sooner did the hero enter than he spun on his heel and called for the door to open again. Robbie rolled his eyes. He'd spent quite a lot of time while Sportacus was away trying to order the door open in order to make his daring escape. Unfortunately it was unable to understand meows.

Robbie craned his head to see Sportacus hanging from the side of the ship, scanning the town with his telescope. The villain blinked. Who knew just how much the Sportakook had been seeing with that thing? The door hissed shut again as Sportacus walked back in sighing and shaking his head.

There was definitely something off about the elf. Robbie rarely say him walk and never seen him look so...sulky? 

Not that this concerned him. Though if the elf were broken, Robbie would be the one to get the blame. And while he'd generally revel in the defeat of his nemesis, he refused to take credit if someone else had broken his Sportacus. His ears flattened against his head and he let out an unconscious growl at the thought.

Sadly for him, this attracted Sportacus's attention and before Robbie could scrabble out of the way, he found himself scooped up in the elf's arms and being mercilessly cuddled. Blasted sports for brain man. 

The abrupt ceasing of ear scratching threw him for a moment, though. He looked up to see Sportacus surveying the damage to his home. Robbie rolled his eyes. It wasn't that bad. 

"It looks like you've been busy," Sportacus stated. Robbie jerked in his arms then froze awaiting a punishment that didn't come.

"What are we going to do with you?"

Robbie was set down gently on the floor. Sportacus just shook his head and grinned as he swept up the little bits of string.

"I guess you didn't like your collar." He said, unexpected, considering the fight he had earlier that day getting the thing on the hissing spitting creature.

The man had managed to go even more insane than before. Even on his own turf, with no witnesses save a stray cat, Sportacus was so quick to forgive. It was baffling. Robbie had never given it much conscious thought, but on some level he'd assumed that the perfect façade would be dropped once there was no one around to ooh and ahh over the town savior.

In spite of seeming a little distracted he was still the same sickeningly likable freak. Although, even when he had no memory his character stayed basically the same. Not so unexpected after all, merely wishful thinking on Robbie's part that there was some sliver of something slightly tolerable about him.

In a flurry of movement Sportacus dumped the string into the trash can, filled Robbie's water dish and began preparing his own dinner. All the leaping and frolicking he did the whole time was making Robbie exhausted as just a spectator. 

The constant chatter in the background only added to his drowsiness. Robbie never would have guessed the man would talk to himself so much. It was a strange habit for such an outgoing creature to cultivate. Surely the elf had plenty of people to talk to.

"Not that it was the only reason one talks to themselves" he mentally backpedaled. After all, Robbie had been known to speak to himself on occasion. Not because he was lonely, of course, but simply because he was the only one who could truly appreciate his unique genius.

((AN: First off, sorry everyone for taking so long. And for this being so short. I have more written but I'm still fighting with bits of it. 

Big honking thanks to all for the comments and encouragement. Super thanks to Bad Wolf for above and beyond the call of duty reviewing and bestowing of precious plot bunnies. I think I know just where to put it! And as for kitty Robbie visuals, I scribbled out my version of him when acual words got too swimmy and he's posted as Robbie the Cat, by Darth Fifi on my Deviant Art account. 

And Kamikalo, I hope this fic doesn't keep you from writing your Robbie as a cat fic. There can never be too many of those. I didn't think it was possible for the idea to be mine alone. Robbie's practically a cat already!)) 


	6. Chapter 6

Sportacus went about his evening routing, managing far less near misses with his odd purple guest than earlier that day. He suspected earlier, but now he was certain that this was the oddest animal he'd ever encountered. It had the oddest expressions and it kept well, glaring at him wherever he went. Not that he could blame him. If someone had stepped on his tail, he'd probably glare a little bit, too. 

It showed just how distracted he'd been lately that he'd managed to put the animal completely out of his mind while he went on yet another long walk. Otherwise he wouldn't have left the devious creature unsupervised for so long. Especially not in a strange place after already being frightened to death by a bunch of strangers.

He laughed as he thought of the children's enthusiasm for their new pet. They'd planned to spend the rest of the day playing with the cat, but the Mayor and Bessie offered them a rare treat of seeing a movie over in the next town. The kid's actually seemed reluctant, which surprised the Mayor to no end. Once he assured the kids the cat would be fine and that they all could come play with him tomorrow, they agreed to the movie.

He'd been invited as well, but more as a courtesy than anything else had. He'd tried to see a movie with them once before but two hours of enforced stillness was far too difficult particularly with all the action in the film. He'd never been shushed so much in his life.

He set his alarm a little early; knowing the kids would be up with the sun in their eagerness to play with Oscar.

Sportacus crouched down in front of the pilot seat, eye to eye with the sneering tabby. His eyes twinkled as he leaned in slightly, though still far enough away to avoid the claws, as if sharing a secret.

"Do you like your name, Oscar?"

He was answered quite eloquently when the cat snorted in disgust, making him laugh heartily.

"I don't think you look too much like an Oscar, but the kids have their hearts set on it." He chanced a quick pet and managed a couple of strokes on the cat's head before the hissing started again. The animal was the second prickliest grumpy creatures he ever seen.

He lowered his voice in a conspiratorial tone and whispered, "How about I just call you Robbie. I think you'd like him. Just when the kids aren't around, of course." He was startled when the cat let out a happy meow and butted his furry head against Sportacus's hand lay on the seat.

Sportacus didn't even have time to react before the tabby stiffened and hissed. He drew his hand back quickly and grinned.

"Yes, I think the name suits you just fine!"

The cat seemed to pull himself back together and managed a mostly cool and aloof expression. Sportacus sneaked another scratch behind his ear, quickly as lightning. It was a very fun game and he couldn't help but notice that while the cat looked annoyed each time he snuck in a cuddle, he looked even more annoyed when the cuddling stopped. And the head butt was a very good sign.

"If only that would work on your namesake." He muttered and vaulted across the room, not knowing he left a very confused cat in his wake.

((Okay, well at least Sportacus's subconcious isn't clueless. It's short because I think the separate chapters make the pov switches a little bit less jarring. At least to me.

As for the reviews, oh. my. god.

I swear my reviews are more entertaining than the actual fic. Ya'll are awesome beyond belief. Bad Wolf and Greenikat, I don't even know how to begin to thank you guys for the support and plot bunny crack. And muchos smooches to everyone who updated and fed my addiction.

Ugh, I sound like I'm accepting an Oscar snerk not just posting a fic. I blame my shiny new ego on all of you.))


	7. Chapter 7

Robbie blinked furiously, utter gobsmacked. What did that mean? His new ears must have been playing tricks on him. He slid backwards, gracelessly, into the pilot seat, utterly lost in thought. 

There was no way Sportacus wanted to pet him. No matter how daft the other man seemed. Nobody wanted to even to be near Robbie Rotten. It was a matter of pride, something he'd spent years cultivating. The thought of anyone, especially Sportacus wanting to cuddle him was simply preposterous.

But...why would Sportacus lie about something like that when the only witness was a mangy old stray?

A sudden silence jerked him out of his reverie. Oddly enough, he'd somewhat gotten used to the noisy elf's scuffles, thuds, and stomps. The abrupt silence, save for the murmur of the propellers became almost thick. And it had become dark. Very dark, way up here away from the street lights.

Robbie chanced a peek over the back of the seat to see Sportacus out like a light all tucked in his bed. It was eerie as always to see the boisterous bouncing elf sleep. He was so utterly still and relaxed. It was like looking at a completely different person.

A shifting wind current caused the ship's autopilot the change course slightly. It happened all the time, several times, in fact during Robbie's stay, but somehow the sounds of unfamiliar machinery whirring and the wind whistling all around took on a sinister air.

Robbie shivered. He missed his lair, his blanket, and his chair. He shifted in the seat and tried in vain to get comfortable. Without the sun shining and the near ridiculous floodlights the temperature in the ship dropped dramatically. It was a good thing he hadn't reconfigured himself in a hairless cat. But fur coat not withstanding, the cool plastic seat was not the most comfortable of beds.

He heaved an exasperated sigh. People didn't appreciate all the work that goes into being truly lazy. Robbie was a professional and was quite proud of his ability to fall asleep anywhere at any time. But if he had his druthers, he preferred to be warm. He arched a feline eyebrow as he realized just where the coziest resting-place in Sportacus's home would be.

He gathered his courage and stalked cautiously across the floor, very glad to have the night vision to avoid setting off anything. This place was even more booby trapped than his lair. If it weren't so annoying, it would almost be inspiring.

He padded silently up to the bed and paused. He shot a glance back to the pilot seat and narrowed his eyes. No way was he going to suffer over there when he had a better alternative. It wasn't his first choice of bedmate, but it was way better than having to bunk with that sticky kid. Besides, no one knew it was he. It wasn't like anyone would ever know.

He leapt up on the end of the bed on the first try and stopped a moment to savor the minor victory. Then he resumed his quest. He padded over to the sleeping hero's side, and picked his way carefully to avoid waking him. Although that would serve the elf right after all of his naps he'd interrupted.

He kneaded the soft blanket until it was just right and snuggled into it. Sportacus put off heat like a stove. It just figured. The man wasted enough energy even in his sleep to power Robbie's inventions for a decade.

Robbie sighed as the chill was finally dissipating and closed his eyes only to crack the left one open again at the answering sigh from his unwitting sleeping companion. A little smile tugged at Sportacus's lips making Robbie roll his eyes. The man looked far too content.

Robbie closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, firmly telling him that the only reason he was purring was the warm, comfy bed.

((And a little bit more. Some actual plot should start happening soon. The last two bits just demanded to be written.))


	8. Chapter 8

The alarm clock chimed and Sportacus woke with a smile. The sun shined in the windows promising another beautiful day in Lazytown. He started to sit up, but paused at the unexpected warm weight on his chest. Carefully, he propped himself up just enough to see and spotted the strange houseguest sprawled over his chest. 

The cat was snoring so hard; Sportacus was amazed that he'd slept through it at all. He pushed himself up a little more and attempted to ease the blanket bearing the cat off of him. But as the animal reached his side, Robbie's weight made it slide on its own and the cat instinctually scrabbled and clung to the soft warm surface.

Sportacus yelped and leapt up. Robbie promptly woke in a panic and clung on even more tightly as the hero actually screamed and tried desperately to pry the yowling fur ball off his chest.

Finally, he managed to somehow pry one set of claws loose and gravity took care of the rest, albeit quite painfully. Robbie fell to the bed with an undignified thump and sat panting and dazed while Sportacus jumped away, pulling at the torn shirt and hissing as it rubbed at the stinging scratches.

He pulled off the shirt and put it up to mended later. A couple of well-placed leaps opened a small compartment and he took out a first aid kit. As he cleaned and bandaged the scratches, he shot an incredulous look at the small creature eyeing him warily from under the blanket. Who knew something so small could do so much damage? He pulled on a fresh shirt and attached his crystal before having breakfast.

The whoosh of his bed folding up made him drop his sport candy and whirl around in horror. He dashed over and called the bed open. The blanket was flung away and he breathed a massive sigh of relief that Robbie wasn't flattened underneath it.

Something brushed against his ankles and he stared down into the mocking eyes of the purple tabby. He shook his head as he remade the bed and pushed it back into the wall, gently chiding the cat all the while.

"Don't scare me like that again!" he ordered sternly. The haughty snarl he got in return erased his stern expression, however and as he allowed the relief to wash over him, he nimbly snatched the animal in a loose hug.

The cat hung limp in his arms and rolled its eyes.

"Sorry about that, Robbie" Sportacus muttered apologetically. "I wouldn't be a very good host if I squashed my first houseguest, would I?" He wandered absently with the animal in his arms over to the door to scan the town for impending trouble and grinned as he spotted the kids up bright and early looking up at him.

Robbie had been growling at Sportacus, clinging to the hero's chest and keeping his eyes scrunched closed in comical avoidance of the quite long way down. The low growl turned into a high pitched yowl of fright as the hero snapped his spyglass shut and started swinging down the ladder one-handed. The other arm held the cat firmly even though Robbie held on tightly enough that the hero wouldn't have been able to dislodge him with force.

"It's all right, Robbie," Sportacus murmured soothingly, "I promise I won't drop you."

They quickly reached the bottom of the ladder and the children gathered around. The eager faces made him smile broadly even though he was sure the excitement was more for their new furry playmate than for him.

He had barely touched the ground before being receiving a quick chorus of hellos and the glaring lanky cat was scooped up, leaving the hero practically forgotten.

Robbie, er, Oscar, looked rather resigned to his fate and allowed the children to pass him around with a minimum of fuss. Ziggy had even made extra sure to wash his hands so he would be allowed to pet the animal as well.

Sportacus kept a bit away, but still close enough to keep watch. Finally, he could jump and move without tripping over any felines. He watched the group making sure the cat didn't get hurt or try to hurt one of the kids, but miraculously, it seemed they were all on their best behavior.

The children laughed as the cat batted determinedly at Pixel's wrist communicator and Stephanie was setting out a couple of shopping bags with dog bones and fish printed on them. Things seemed under control and he trusted his crystal to alert him of any problems. With one last check to make sure all was well, he turned and headed off towards the outskirts of Lazytown.

He reached the billboard quickly and paused in front of the obscured hatch, uncertain. He would be the last person Robbie would want to see, but getting yelled at and dodging various sugary missiles could be worth it if only for a little peace of mind.

He looked around self-consciously, half-hoping to see the bizarre periscope peering back at him, but no luck. While it wasn't unheard of for Robbie to vanish for days at a time, the lack of his periscope skulking about the town made Sportacus nervous.

He slid easily down the chute and fought back the momentary sense of déjà vu as he vaulted nimbly into he secret lair. It'd taken him a little while to shake the feeling after his younger self had been returned to his own time, but he hadn't been in the lair since then and his vague childhood memories warred with the current reality of the dark room.

It was quiet and the slight scent of something burning lingered in the air.

"Robbie? Are you home?" He called out and mentally braced himself for an impending tirade. When none came he let out a frustrated sigh and began to poke about the room cautiously.

It was entirely possible that Robbie had simply gone somewhere for a visit, but Sportacus couldn't think of a time since his own arrival that Robbie had not been there lurking or lounging.

The very idea seemed wrong somehow. The town wasn't the same without Robbie Rotten in it.

His brow furrowed as he inspected the table and the scorched piece of machinery sitting amid a minor chaos of scattered parts, tools, and a rather large mallet. He slipped slightly on the ball bearings carelessly strewn on the floor.

It was an odd contraption, not uncommon in Robbie's arsenal, but something about it made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. It was black and purple with what appeared to be a vacuum cleaner nozzle sticking out of the side.

Sportacus rolled his eyes and smiled. At least he knew now why no one could find Bessie's vacuum cleaner last week.

The nozzle was pointed outward towards a scorch mark on the floor. Eyes narrowed, Sportacus cautiously prodded the machine from the side. The sudden shower of sparks it spit out sent him somersaulting backwards, but they died away quickly. The machine hummed a moment longer then shut back down with a mechanical whine.

But not before Sportacus spied the image of a cat on the glowing display.

"Oh, Robbie," he huffed, his exasperation mixed with annoyance at himself. He'd been so preoccupied worrying about the mad scientist that he'd missed the man, er, cat right under his nose.

He gave the device a wide berth, particularly wary of the nozzle and dashed back to the surface. He'd rescue Robbie yet, even if it were a little bit on the late side.


	9. Chapter 9

Robbie didn't see Sportacus bound back to the group and gesture Pixel away for a chat. He was far too wrapped up in his most recent misery. His poor dignity had taken quite a few blows since a certain pink-haired pre-adolescent and pranced and sung her way into his town with the sports elf in tow. But being gripped by the stubby sticky kid in a stranglehold and cooed over by the two little girls was more than anyone could reasonably be expected to withstand. Particularly with the horrible jangling noose they had slapped around his neck. The slightest move sent the tiny bell on his collar jingling uncomfortably close to his current sensitive ears. Who exactly was the villain in this town, anyway?

At least the skinny grabby brat was distracted by the piles of trinkets they had purchased for "Oscar". Bowls, bedding, and toys were scattered about with wisps of paper and packing materials swishing throughout. More than once Robbie had to forcibly give himself a shake to tear his eyes away from a particularly enticing ribbon blowing in the wind.

He was losing his mind.

"I think it's time to give Oscar a rest." Sportacus said, leaning over Stephanie's shoulder to chuck the scowling animal under the chin with a wink to Pixel. The boy was standing a bit away from the group and looked mildly freaked out and distracted. No one else seemed to take notice though, as Stephanie beamed and gently removed Robbie from Ziggy's arms and handed the sulking animal to Sportacus.

Robbie sighed as the children burst into a flurry of activity collecting all the scattered items into bags, occasionally having to pry them out of Stingy's fingers, and piled the bags on Sportacus in inventive and slightly odd ways to allow him to carry the lot up to the airship.

Pixel just stood there and looked positively ill as Stephanie gave the "cat" an affectionate pet before transferring another package to Sportacus's arms. His queasiness really didn't lessen when the hero cuddled the animal protectively against his chest and cautiously shifted the packages for the climb. He waited until Sportacus was well up the ladder before slipping away quietly and dashed off home to collect some supplies and download some mechanical books.

Robbie was recovering from another harrowing climb on the bed where Sportacus had carefully set him down before flipping around to spread out the new cat bed, fancy dishes, and enough toys to entertain an army of tabbies. Most everything had "Oscar" emblazoned on them, which made Robbie cringe. The least they could have done was put the name on the litter box as well so he could show just how much he appreciated the moniker. He began to clean his tail where the short kid had still gotten him sticky in spite of the brats insistence he'd washed his hands thoroughly. He made a mental note to himself while he groomed that no disguise would ever bear the name "Oscar". He'd have to dump that rusty garbage can as soon as he was back to his old dashing self.

All that grooming made him very sleepy, but he no sooner closed his eyes, then the annoying elf bounced and flipped by, shooting him beaming smiles and sneaking pats on the head. Sportacus was acting more obnoxiously chipper than usual. Then again, maybe not. More like he was acting more like his old self again. Robbie sat up and watched the hero warily. Seeing Sportakook leaping about in his usual fanatical way just highlighted how out of sorts he had been. Robbie wondered what had changed since this morning to snap the crazy elf back to "normal". And even more important, what had caused such a change in mood in the first place. If only he knew then he would really have a way to make Sportacus leave Lazytown forever.

He laid back down, muttering to himself in odd meows and purrs. It couldn't have been anything he did. He'd been lying low for a while trying to come up with new plans and sulking. But whatever it was that troubled the Sportaloser could happen again, and this time, Robbie was in the perfect place to figure it out. His little accident just might work out to be his most brilliant disguise! He curled up in to a ball purring to himself at his cleverness and settled in for a nap with the thumps and bumps of the bouncy elf for once a pleasant background noise.

Meanwhile, deep underground, a young genius sat hunched over a burnt out chunk of machinery and made more than a few disgusted utterances as he prodded a tangled mess of wires and circuits and keyed his notes into his wrist computer. At first, he'd been terrified by ominous lair, but when his natural curiosity kicked in, he managed to suppress most of the fears and focus on the task at hand. It was quite commendable that the computer whiz had managed to leave most of the gadgetry strowed about alone and concentrate on the bizarre machine that had apparently turned the notorious villain in to a cute fluffy kitten.

Pixel heaved a rather large sigh and keyed in his latest findings. He almost regretted agreeing to help Sportacus get Robbie back to normal. For some reason, he just never realized how technologically advanced Robbie Rotten was. For all his goofy mannerisms and his devices simplistic outward appearances, the town recluse was making fascinating strides in several scientific fields. And the fiedishly intricate inner workings of this particular machine were giving him a headache. In addition the the other one he already recieved.

He scratched his head and re-checked his calculations. He was so engrossed that he didn't notice the figure come up behind him until a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

"Yeeaugh!" Pixel shrieked and batted wildly at the foriegn hand.

"Pixel! It's okay, it's just me!" Sportacus announced and tried frantically to calm down the frightened boy.

Pixel's eyes were still wide as saucers, but he processed the new data and began to gather his wits.

"Woah, sorry about that," he panted and put a hand over his racing heart, "This place is just mega creepy. You won't believe all the things that have jumped out at me, tripped me, and even tried to set me on fire! Just look what the thing that looked like a coffee pot did!"

Pixel gestured at the purplish bump forming on his forehead.

"That doesn't look good, Pixel," Sportacus said and tilted the boy's head to the light to get a better look. "Maybe you should call it a day and get your mother to look at that." The hero looked unnerved. It took Pixel only a moment to catch up.

"Wait a minute, how come your crystal didn't tell you I was in trouble?" Pixel asked, the bump already forgotten in the light of a new puzzle to be solved.

Sportacus shook his head gravely, "I don't know. I had to save Bessie's kitten again from the tree, so I know my crystal is working. Perhaps it is something Robbie has done to his lair?" As soon as he said it, Sportacus looked slightly ill. What if Robbie seriously hurt himself or got into real trouble down here? Without the crystal to let him know, no one would find him in time. The thought of how long it had taken him to get the courage to come down and check on Robbie sent a deep pang of guilt through the hero. That foolish man! When they got him back to normal, well, normal for Robbie, Sportacus was going to have a long chat with him. And he wasn't going to let the cranky brat keep him from helping, whether Robbie liked it or not.

A little too much of his inner thoughts were written on his face and Pixel was more than a little alarmed to see genuine anger on his friend's face. He really didn't want to know what Sportacus was thinking at that moment, so he quickly moved on to another subject.

"I've analysed what's left of the machine that's responsible for Robbie's, er, condition." Pixel tapped away on his keypad nervously. "The results aren't optimal. It seems that the longer he's stuck being a cat, the more like a cat he'll become." Pixel gulped and looked at Sportacus with a pained expression. "I don't know if I'll be able to get the machine operational again before Robbie forgets who he is entirely."

(Hey, whaddaya know, I'm not dead! Just really, really, really late. Sorry about that. I just stumbled back on the notes I made for this story and felt inspired again, so I'm taking another bash at getting it finished. Thanks for all the fab reviews that I totally didn't deserve after disappearing!)


	10. Chapter 10

Robbie was enjoying his nap when the door shot open and a very agitated sports elf bound inside frantically.

"Robbie, can you hear me? Is it still you?" Sportacus demanded and scooped up the feline bringing the furry face near his own to scrutinize.

Robbie stared back completely bewildered. He struggled to get out of the elf's arms but even had he still been human there was no budging from the iron grip.

"Rarg!" he replied and was annoyed that the stream of inventive obscenities did not translate well in to cat.

"Oh no, we're too late!" Sportacus practically wailed. Robbie gapsed as he was crushed to a powerful chest.

"I am so sorry Robbie! I should have checked up on you sooner. Then Pixel could have repaired your invention and you wouldn't be stuck as a cat forever!"

The lanky cat had been fighting to be released but stopped short as Sportacus's declaration sank in.

"Mew?" he asked, his emotions shooting from annoyed to terrified in a split second. Through a surprising burst of adrenaline, the villian turned cat wrenched his way out of the bear hug, hooked his claws in to each side of that goofy blue hat, pulled that obnoxious sports elfen face down to his own and snarled, asking in a way unmistakable even in the limits of cat language just what was meant by, "stuck as a cat forever".

"Robbie?" Sportacus asked, with a slight quaver to his voice and trembling lower lip warring with what looked like the beginnings of hope in his eyes.

"Mrowr." Robbie snapped, impatient as ever, and rolled his eyes.

"You are still you! Thank goodness!"

The bright smile washed across the hero's face like a sunrise. The close proximity to nearly burned Robbie with its intensity and he had to look a way a moment to catch the breath he seemed to have lost somewhere.

He recieved his much needed distance as Sportacus carefully placed him on the bed and removed something from his vest. He set down the small device in front the peculiar purple tabby and grinned expectantly, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Robbie eyed it suspiciously and even gave it a curious sniff before tapping the big friendly orange button with his paw. The device sprange to life in a blaze of beeps and lights before splitting open and revealed a small keyboard, screen and speakers.

"Thank you for activating the Conversetron 600," chirped a pleasant female voice from the speakers.

Robbie sneered slightly at the friendly tone. That and the boring name clearly identified it as one of Paxil's inventions. However, he didn't let that stop him from pouncing on the keyboard and typing as fast as his fuzzy appendages would allow.

"What do you mean I'm stuck as a cat forever, you great oaf of an elf," the Converetron trilled sweetly. Robbie couldn't help but to cringe at the way it turned his nice bitter insult in to little more than some cutesy pet name.

The tone brought a quick smile to Sportacus's face, but it was quickly replaced by a flustered expression as he paced briskly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, you see, Robbie, you aren't stuck physically like this forever. In fact, Pixel says that even if he can't fix the machine you should revert back to your natural form eventually."

It was clear on that transparent face that there was more he wasn't telling him. Robbie growled and resumed his typing.

"If you don't hurry up and spit it out I promise I'll bite you!"

It was a very good thing that cats couldn't blush, at least visibly. His sharp command filtered through the pleasant sing song ended up sounding less like a threat more like a flirtation. From the redness creeping across Sportakook's cheeks, it seemed the same to him. Fortunately, Sportacus just shook his head, did a quick flip, and continued explaining.

"Physically, you should be fine..." he started to trail off, but a low feline growl kept him going. Apparently heroes had problems giving bad news. Which is just silly. Bad news was the most fun news to give other people.

"But the machine takes a higher toll on you mentally. The longer you're in the form of a cat, the more your mind will shape itself to match. According to the test results Pixel calculated, if you remain in a cat body too long, you'll forget you were ever human, and there's no way to tell if you can ever remember even if you change back."

Robbie remained silent, and tried to absord the news. This was not an intended function of his Re-Configurator. Of course, he didn't exactly get a chance to safely test it out. He hoped that the kid had just made a mistake in his calculations. After all, anyone still in grade school was apt to be a little confused with a grown man's level of genius. There was no kidding himself, though. Already he'd found himself falling into the cat role more and more and it had only been a couple of days. How long would he last? Could a small child get the R-C back together in time?

Sportacus had not had much exposure to a quiet Robbie and was starting to get worried. He bounced nervously, paced a bit, and finally started a complex series of cartwheels, flips, and tumbling before becoming exasperated with the cat's silence. He approached him warily. Perhaps he was asleep. It seemed an odd time to fall asleep but that wouldn't be too unusual for Robbie.

There was a sudden flurry of furry movement and the Conversatron once more came to life.

"Alright Sportacus, put your disgusting overabundance of energy to good use and get me down to my lair. I need to have a chat with Pencil and get this mess cleaned up sooner rather than later. Never send a boy to do a man's job. Or a cat's job."

Action was something Sportacus could get behind. With a whoop he scooped Robbie and the Conversetron and headed toward the door.

"You know, Robbie, you missspelled Pixel's name."

The keyboard clicked and clacked.

"No I did not. And don't forget to bring my catnip mouse," said the sweet voice in the gadget.


End file.
